Prywatne i publiczne biblioteki Imperium Romanum

Krzysztof Leszek

doi:10.31648/ep.2701

Published: 2019-01-071

No. XIX (2018)

Private and public libraries of the Roman Empire

Krzysztof Leszek

Echa Przeszłości

Section: ARTICLES

https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.2701

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the history of libraries in the Roman Empire. It discusses the establishment and management of public libraries funded by emperors and individuals. The author poses several questions to elucidate the role of public libraries in the Roman Empire. Were they centers of literary culture and education? Or were they merely a civic showpiece created by the rich to manifest their splendor and wisdom? And finally, were Roman libraries bona fide public institutions or were they accessible only to the elites? The second part of the article focuses on private book collections of the Roman Empire and the reasons for their establishment. The author attempts to determine whether private libraries were founded for scientific reasons and the love of books or whether the possession of vast book collection was merely a trend among the wealthy citizens of the Empire. The private book collections of Roman Emperors are also discussed.

Keywords:

private libraries, public libraries, Roman Empire, book, literary culture, Roman Emperors

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Leszek, K. (2019). Private and public libraries of the Roman Empire. Echa Przeszłości, (XIX). https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.2701

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